1 of 1 people found this review helpful
By Robert Huffman on 04/16/10 02:24 AM (PDT)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
Review
Best car have owned, first and only repair one coil burn out, 700 dollar repair, but this is first spent on car ever, other than regular maintenance
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful
By Kia Driver on 03/15/10 17:43 PM (PDT)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
Review
I find this to be a decent used car for someone just learning to drive or looking for nothing more than point A to point B transportation. It's been pretty reliable although when things do break, they are expensive to repair. Many parts have to be ordered from Korea and it's hard to find a mechanic that will work on them. Very difficult to work on yourself as well. The "little things" like interior trim and such start falling apart around 50k miles though. By 87K the dash was warped, interior trim always falling off, drivers seat no longer went back, and power windows only worked sometimes. The drive train itself is fairly reliable though.
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By pfft on 02/15/10 19:05 PM (PST)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
Review
I bought my Spectra used with about 100,000 miles on it and put 80,000 on it before the transmission completely blew (more expensive to fix than the KBB on the car). The seats were really uncomfortable and it wasn't good for long trips because the steering wheel couldn't be adjusted so it touched my knees the entire time. Little things started breaking (both sun visors fell off, the weather stripping completely dropped off two windows, all but one speaker blew out, heat/air conditioning issues, glove compartment latch broke, dome light switch got touchy, etc). The oil changes were nearly impossible to do at home due to inaccessible location of oil drain. The car only lived for 6 years total.
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By David S on 07/09/09 15:44 PM (PDT)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I am writing a quick review on my 2003 KIA Spectra. I purchased this car brand new, only 4 miles on it, in March of 2003. 6 Years and 110K miles later, the car is in great shape! No mechanical issues, no leaks. Paint is in excellent condition and it still drives great! I have only had to replace the battery and get new tires. Otherwise, followng the maintenance list, this car has held up wonderfully!
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4 of 5 people found this review helpful
By Robin Skipper on 05/26/09 07:05 AM (PDT)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
This car has been a nuisance since I bought it. I liked the look of it but I wish the people who sold it to me were a bit more honest. I think it had been in an accident and they didn't tell me. It was not detailed very well. The car itself has been nothing but trouble. I have put quite a bit of money into it. I will have it paid for in Oct. However, it now needs a catalytic converter. It's time to get rid of it. I hope I can get a decent price as I do not want a car payment. Thank you
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful
By susiebelle on 12/17/08 09:38 AM (PST)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra GSX 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Car is cute, gets great gas mileage. I bought my car new. Had to change the tires by 30K Replaced brake pads and rotors twice. Replace battery. Driver side locks broken & sometimes won't unlock and I have to crawl through the passenger side. Driver side window roller broke, Alternator going out. Problem with steering system. Hatchback cover broke within a week. Rear window brake light is falling apart from sun damage (I live in Indiana & typically don't have this problem). Brake lights are a pain to change..have to remove whole back panel of car. Very lightweight car and blows around on windy day
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By lovemykia! on 11/12/08 08:51 AM (PST)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I bought this car new in 2003 and I still love it! One review said it doesn't have child locks, but it does! Only a couple repairs and this car has been driven to death with very little maintenance. Had to take it to the dealer early on, forget what it was for but they fixed it at no charge. At 100K mi I just replaced the belt. It's needed five or six new headlights, brake pads at 60-70K, a new battery earlier this year, and only fully replaced tires once for wear. And my sun visor is broken. The car sucks up gas with the AC on high, even on the highway. Other than that, no trouble whatsoever and I give it a dependable rating of "10"
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By dkrosell on 06/05/08 13:21 PM (PDT)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Having previously owned several Toyota Camrys, we were surprised to find the Kia Spectra so reliable. We never had to have it repaired - only maintenance in the 5 years we owned.
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By Andrew Dietz on 05/27/08 09:43 AM (PDT)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra GS 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I put almost 120,000 miles on this car before I traded it in for my new car (not a Kia). The price was cheap and for the cost, the car ran pretty reliably. I never had any major repairs needed - just normal maintenance stuff like the timing belt. The brake systems needed a LOT of repairs over the years though. I had to replace rotors with every set of brakes and I had the brake calipers replaced once as well. I was told it was due to Kia's "small parts". The car was fun to drive, and I felt like I could drive rough with it when I needed to and it would hold up well. It blows around a little too much in the wind though. I did find the seats very uncomfortable, though.
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By mlerlie on 08/13/07 20:12 PM (PDT)
Vehicle
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
This was my first Kia. Bought it solely because it was the newest car with the best warranty I could afford. I drive a lot so a new car with warranty was critical. In the past 3 years I've put on over 75000 miles and have had to do very little maintenance. But I don't feel safe in it at all - the littlest gust of wind tosses it around - not fun on highways during blustery blizzards! I actually had a panic attack while driving it through the W.V. mountains (Talk about a very long trip!) I get about 31 mpg most of the time and with the miles I put on, that's a definite bonus.
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